New Delhi [India], January 2 : Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha on Friday demanded fair working treatment for the delivery riders of instant-commerce companies such as Zomato, Swiggy, and Blinkit, etc., saying that it is time that companies start to realise their importance in their organisational growth.
"I sat down with delivery riders of Zomato, Swiggy, Blinkit, etc. This is not a rant. This is a conversation with those whose lives power our everyday comfort. It's tragic that millions of delivery riders who helped build instant-commerce companies into what they are today, are now forced to protest just to be heard..." he said.
Chadha asserted that the companies must understand the value of their respective delivery riders, who played a major role in the success and profits achieved from the very start.
"These platforms didn't succeed because of algorithms alone. They succeeded because of human sweat and labour. It's time companies start treating riders as human beings, not disposable data points. The gig economy cannot become a guilt-free exploitation economy," he added.
On Wednesday, the Platform-based delivery workers affiliated with the Indian Federation of App-Based Transport Workers (IFAT) observed a nationwide strike, protesting against unfair working conditions, low wages, and the absence of social security, warning that delivery services may be severely disrupted during peak hours.
According to food delivery agents, despite spending long hours on the road, their income has reduced significantly, leaving them financially strained.
Earlier, Aam Aadmi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Raghav reiterated his call to ban 10-minute delivery apps, claiming that the same companies have been oppressing gig workers and shooting up their evaluations on their backs, enriching only the companies.
"In today's time, Swiggy Zomato delivery boys, Blinkit Zepto riders, Ola Uber drivers, are a workforce on the back of which these big companies have become unicorns; they have got billion-dollar valuations. In this entire ecosystem that has been created, if there's one group of people who are oppressed and under immense pressure, it's the gig workers," the AAP MP said during an exclusive interview with ANI.
Under the 10-minute delivery guarantee, a gig worker who drives recklessly, becomes increasingly anxious, risks losing incentives, and faces customer abuse if the delivery is late, while not receiving any regular worker protections, Chadha said.
As part of improving working conditions and rights for workers, Chadha has proposed setting working hours for gig workers to end the practice of people working 14-16 hours a day for incentives.